Sen. Thayer’s churlishness on GOP loss even worse next to Cameron’s gracious concession | Opinion

Congratulations, Andy

A well-deserved win for Gov. Andy Beshear for doing a very good job! I’m sure he will continue on over the next 4 years. He gives Kentucky a good name. Hopefully, other politicians will follow his example.

Now if we can only get rid of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul. We should all be so lucky.

Chuck Slanovec, Lexington

Childish, churlish Damon Thayer

I can think of numerous comments Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown) might have made after learning Andy Beshear had won the governor’s race. He chose to respond that he/the Kentucky legislature had no incentive to work with the Governor and that Andy didn’t deserve such after the race he had run.

How about the incentive that comes with being elected to represent your constituents and to work to improve life in the Commonwealth for all its citizens? How about the incentive of treating all the Kentuckians who voted for Andy with due respect? If Mr. Thayer dislikes the Governor so much because he feels the legislature didn’t get enough praise and kudos during the campaign, a simple “Congratulations” would have been adequate, appropriate, and mature.

However, Thayer’s chosen remarks seem churlish, smug and unprofessional. I have to admire gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron for being astute, gentlemanly, and professional in a moment of deep disappointment for himself and his family as he conceded the race.

Politics has become a blood sport but I think voters want more civility and less chaos. I think that is partially what won the race for Beshear. Give it a try and see what happens!

Janice Russell, Lexington

Gun control

The new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) calls for prayer to end the senseless killing. If prayer worked, this country would be in a better place, but obviously it doesn’t. When are the fat cats in Washington going to get off their collective asses and take action to ban assault weapons? As usual after every despicable act of violence, cries for more mental health assessments is brought up. Obviously in a country that elected Donald Trump for president, there aren’t enough mental health workers to go around. We don’t need to worry about Russia, China or any of the other countries that want to destroy us, we are doing it from within by having a bunch of old men in Washington who only care about the size of their wallet and not the people they are supposed to represent.

The fact that the GOP still kisses Trump’s ass is a clear testament that they are as insane as he and every mass shooter is. We should lock them all up and throw away the key!

Sara Wellnitz, Lexington

Black expulsion

Quinton Cockrell’s excellent column on the Corbin expulsion of its Black populace is a reminder of our historical racism. But Corbin was not alone. A year later in 1920, Ravenna, Ky. exiled hundreds of Black railroad workers from their jobs and from their community.

I’ve met natives from Irvine (which blends into Ravenna) who have never heard that story. We can’t deny our racism if we don’t know about it: past and present.

I don’t mean to point fingers only at these towns. Large sections of Lexington never let Blacks in as Rona Roberts and Barbara Sutherland’s recent study of housing reveals. Saves the trouble of expelling if entry is forbidden.

Perhaps Mr. Cockrell would consider a sequel.

Joseph G. Anthony, Lexington

Lexington traffic

Living downtown, we catch Lextran shuttles to UK games. On a recent weekend, we walked past one church passing out candy to kids in costume and saw a woman with her shopping cart babbling incoherently. Later, on the bus, we observed a collision where a man dressed as Santa was on his cell after what was likely a collision from a red light being run!

After watching UK pull defeat from victory, we caught the bus back downtown. Walking in the thick fog on High Street, we almost tripped over a tent encampment. Then we were almost run over by someone running another red light. At the next intersection we saw the same. It seem someone blatantly runs red lights about 90 percent of the time.

Later, we blended into costumed crowds downtown, disguised as disappointed UK Fans, and passed more people camped in doorways and holding out their panhandling signs.

Lexington, we can do better! If we want a vibrant downtown that people want to visit, we need to deal with the homeless concentrated by the number of facilities here. Also, we need to deal with the traffic issues before more people are killed or injured simply walking around downtown.

J. S. Gardner, Lexington

Modern discrimination

The purpose of Jim Crow laws were to discriminate and segregate. Aimed at African Americans, Jim Crow Laws were like Poll taxes which used income to prevent many Americans from voting. Poll taxes discriminated against all poor Americans including a majority of African Americans. Poor whites and others deprived of their right to vote were collateral damage in the war against equal rights in America.

But the war is not over.

Vouchers are a supplemental income used for housing. As intended by the Fair housing Act, vouchers give the poor more dollars and choices of where to live. Landlords can choose to accept or refuse vouchers as a source of income.

Voluntary acceptance of housing vouchers makes it possible for landlords to use this source of income to discriminate and segregate just as in the Jim Crow era. The poll tax didn’t openly discriminate by race. It did so under the cover of income.

On Tuesday, Nov.14,at 6 pm, the Lexington City Council (200E Main St) will be listening to the public on this issue. Be there in person if you can. If you can’t attend, you can call to find and leave a message for your council member at (859) 425-2255.

Zoe Langley, Lexington

Disqualified candidacy

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Section 3 clearly states: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

I was listening to Former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Michael Luttig on MSNBC recently. There could be discussion on the first part of section 3 but there can be utterly no doubt that former President Donald J Trump gave aid and comfort to the enemies thereof. Regarding the January 6th insurrectionists he has said that “he loved them” and that if he were elected again he “would pardon them.” This includes convicted felons. If this is not aid and comfort I don’t know what is. It is utterly clear that Trump cannot appear on the presidential ballot in 2024.

Jim Porter, Danville

Bullied board member

Upon reading a recent article about Fayette County Public Schools board member Tom Jones’ apology for using the phrase “monkeying around” in a meeting, my first thought was amazement at the absurdity of the situation.

I know that public officials have to walk on eggshells sometimes, especially in this age of political correctness, but Mr. Jones should not have apologized for using a perfectly good phrase in an appropriate way.

Even if such usage is interpreted as a “microaggression,” is not the turning of it into a public apology and resulting newspaper story a macro-aggression, as in making a mountain out of a molehill?

After reading that he quit the school board, I was told (by a friend who formerly served on the board) that Mr. Jones was a valuable member and was “a voice of reason.”

What a shame if such a voice left public service because of emotional blackmail from a sophomoric, self-centered source.

Seems to me that Mr. Jones has been bullied.

I think someone owes him an apology.

Jim Hanna, Lexington

Council seating

I was given three minutes to make a presentation to the Lexington City Council about the safety hazards at the Secretariat round-about on the Old Frankfort Pike. Now I read the council used almost an hour of their time discussing their seating arrangements.

It seems common sense might solve the problem but that common sense seems to lacking with some of our council members. First come, first served might work. It might also help to check the birth certificates of council candidates to see if they have reached the age of maturity.

Tom Dixon, Lexington

Compiled by Liz Carey